Mailbag: Would Cole Beasley Be Able To Improve The Offense?

Tuesday, September 17, 2013 6:00 AM CDT

JAYKERK WORMACK FAYETTEVILLE, NC

Cowboys coach Jason Garrett has said that George Selvie has done a great job taking advantage of his opportunity and has given the team an example to look toward. If this is true, why are we so bent on letting Spencer back into the lineup? Selvie has disrupted pass play after pass play. Why stop the progression of this player?

David: I can think of about $10 million reasons why the Cowboys want Spencer back on the field as quickly as possible. Just to look at it from a business standpoint, the organization is paying him handsomely to play this season under the NFL’s franchise tag. As a franchise player at such an important position, Spencer is currently earning $10.6 million for his efforts in 2013, which makes him the third-highest player on the team behind Tony Romo and DeMarcus Ware. On top of that, his Pro Bowl production from last year is something you want to contribute as much as possible.

Rowan: You don’t have to completely stop the progression of Selvie to let Spencer on the field if they keep working a rotation. Spencer is a proven commodity and was the team’s best rusher by the end of last season. That earned him the franchise tag he got this year, and the Cowboys don’t want to hold back a player they may only have the rest of the year. Spencer displayed last season what he can do when he’s healthy and at his best. If the Cowboys can get some form of that, he needs to be on the field.

KYLE FORCHETTI EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ

If Bill Callahan is going to implement a short-passing offense, wouldn't Cole Beasley be a tremendous fit?

David: It certainly seems that way, but that’s the numbers game in the NFL. There are only so many guys you can play on Sunday, and they all have to fit into the puzzle of how you’re going to implement your roster. Dwayne Harris and Beasley both have incredibly similar skillsets – both on offense and special teams – which makes it tricky to try to use them both. I’m positive Beasley will find his way into a uniform for a game at some point, either because of injury or as a change of pace. He’ll need to prove his value with whatever opportunity he gets.

Rowan: I’d be surprised if Beasley stayed inactive another couple weeks. The Cowboys are struggling on third downs, and that’s an area that Beasley can help fix. The problem for Beasley is he isn’t a special teams contributor, which makes the number crunch a little tougher when figuring out the active roster on game day. But what Beasley can provide I think is too valuable for a team that’s struggling to move the ball to leave him inactive right now.